"Cuidades: Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)" (2011) by Guillermo Lago (Netherlands, b. 1960). Mark Northup, soprano; Andrey Floryanovich, alto; Gage Schmitt, tenor; Lexi Forstrom, baritone. Performed by a saxophone quartet from the University of Northern Iowa Wind Symphony, Dr. Ronald Johnson, Conductor, on November 18, 2016 in the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. Recorded with permission. All rights reserved. Ciudades (Cities) is a series of musical sketches of cities that have a special meaning to the composer. It is a work in progress, and Lago adds new sketches now and then. The various city portraits can be performed as a suite or as standalone pieces: when played as a suite the order of the movements can be decided freely by the performing quartet. Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) is dedicated to Lago's many friends in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the 1990’s, the town was hit by a cruel civil war. In the beginning of this century, Lago was invited to help reestablish a saxophone class at the Sarajevo Academy of Music and together with “Musicians Without Borders,” and his friend, Adnan Cico, he founded the Winds of Change; Bosnia and Herzegovina's first wind ensemble . . . a group of young musicians, each of them affected by the country's recent history. ~~ Guillermo Lago ~~